Monday, December 31, 2012

2012 is done and a near year has come. Here are some videos to bring in the new year. Big thanks to Ndombholino (le Leader!), Drigo Mbaki and countless others who keep me up to date with new Congolese music with their blogs and youtube accounts. We here at Tambour d'Afrique wish you all Blessings and Peace for the new year!!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Diblo Dibala, often known simply as Diblo, is a Congolese soukous musician,known as "Machine Gun" for his speed and skill on the guitar. He was born in 1954 in Kisangani. He moved to Kinshasa as a child, and aged 15 won a talent competition which led to him playing guitar in Franco's TPOK band. Dibala remained with the group for only a short period, going on to play with Vox Africa, Orchestra Bella Mambo and Bella Bella, in which band he first played with Kanda Bongo Man.
In 1979, he moved to Brussels, and in 1981 he joined Kanda Bongo Man's band in Paris. Their first album, Iyole (1981), was a success. Diblo became a sought after session guitarist, working with Pepe Kalle and many other soukous musicians.
In the mid 1980s, he formed his own band, Loketo (meaning 'hips'), with singer Aurlus Mabele. A few years later, that band broke up, and in 1990 he formed a new group, Matchatcha, which is still active.
Dibala continues to perform in the United States. Over the summer he performed at several venues including The Shrine in July.
(information taken from Diblo Dibala's Wikipedia page)
Host, Guy Angrand, had the pleasure of meeting Diblo Dibala at one of his shows this summer. He hopes to interview him soon. Until then listen to the episode of Tambour d'Afrique posted on July 29th where Guy plays several selections from Diblo Dibala's repertoire in a special dedicated to him.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Thursday, May 3, 2012

I must admit I haven't really delved into the career of JB Mpiana at all. Today I decided to go to youtube and see what he's about. I'm starting with clips from his most recent album "Soyons Serieux". These two songs immediately caught my attention:

Monday, April 30, 2012

Found a new host for my t-shirt designs. Out with the old in with the new!
Order Royal Legacy Design's "Muziki Ya Congo" T-shirts TODAY!!
Lower prices, Great quality American Apparel™ T's and top notch silk screening!
Franco, Pepe Kalle, Mbilia Bel, & More designs to come!
CLICK THIS LINK:

iF YOU REMEMBER THE BIG FIGHT BETWEEN FRANCO AND KWAMY WELL "FAUX MOLLIONNAIRE" BY KWAMY AND CHICOTTE BY FRANCO TELLS YOU PART OF THE STORY IN TODAY'S SHOW. WE START THIS WITH GUY MWANA MBOKEA TALKING ABOUT SOME OLD CLASSIC RUMBA. YOU WILL ALSO GET THE OPPRTUNITY TO LISTEN TO LES BANTOUS "MAMA NA MUANA" AND NTESA DALIENST IN 2 RENDITIONS: "TOKOSENGA NA NZAMBE AND MARIA MBOKA" ENJOY AND DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW AND LISTEN TO IT ANY TIME YOU WANT. DO NOT FORGET THAT TAMBOUR D'AFRIQUE AIRS LIVE ON SATURDAY (New York Time Zone) FROM 10 PM TO MIDNIGHT ON WWW.RADIOTRIOMPHE.COM AND THE SAME SHOW IS REPEATED ON TuesdayS at 1 PM, wENESDAYS AT 5 am and Saturdays at 6 AM (NEW YORK TIME ZONE.

Tambour d'Afrique is dedicated to carrying the torch for Congolese Music in an arena where not much information is available on the genre. Congolese music is one of the most influential musical genres in the world and we hope to continue to spread its influence to those who may otherwise never be exposed to the genres wealth of beauty and social commentary.